Ethiopia

Where the name comes from

Ethiopia comes from Greek Aithiopía, “land of the burnt-faced people”, an ancient Greek term first used broadly for lands south of Egypt.

First people

Fossils of early human ancestors, including the 3.2-million-year-old “Lucy”, were found here, and the kingdom of Aksum later linked the highlands with Red Sea trade.^1,2

Known for

Ethiopia is known as the home of coffee and for Lalibela’s churches carved from solid rock; Aksum adopted Christianity in the 300s.³

Outside rule

At Adwa in 1896, Ethiopian forces defeated Italy’s invading army, a symbol of resistance to colonial rule across Africa; Italy invaded again and occupied Ethiopia in 1936–1941.^4,5

The modern country

Its sovereignty was then restored, and Ethiopia became a founding member of the United Nations.⁵